


A Galaxy of Stars

by AceComets



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/M, Reporter Kara Danvers, Reporter Mike Matthews, Sole Survivor Kara, clois au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2019-11-12 14:16:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18012488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceComets/pseuds/AceComets
Summary: As Krypton was dying, Alura and Jor-El put their infant daughter into a pod and sent her on a journey through space as the sole survivor of their planet. Crashing in Smallville, Kara is found and adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent. Struggling her whole life with the burden of her powers, Kara has hidden herself away but not in adulthood, she sees the struggles of Earth and National City and steps up, revealing herself as Supergirl and vowing to become a hero of Earth. Hot on her tail is the star reporter of CatCo, Mike Matthews. He's determined to find out who this mystery woman is.Kara is constantly crossing paths with Mike, both as coworkers at CatCo and as Supergirl. She's juggling so many things at once and still trying to find her place on Earth as the biggest threat she has ever faced looms.Karamel as Clois AU.





	1. PROLOGUE

Krypton was dying. Or more specifically, their red sun was dying. By the time Zor-El had discovered what was happening, it was too late for any plan to actually work. They couldn’t evacuate Krypton and soon enough, every other planet in their sun’s system would be pulled into the supernova as well.

Right now, triggering quakes formed all across the surface thanks to the desiccating core. Buildings crumbled quickly, flames and death consumed everything in its path. From his lab, Zor-El put the finishing touches on an escape pod. There was not enough space for anything other than the small infant cradled in his wife’s arms.

“Zor-El?” Alura asked, a tone of worry coating all of her words, “Will this work?”

Just as he finished setting the coordinates, he turned to her and nodded, “It will get Kara off the planet. I’ve programmed the pod to go to a planet called Earth. She’ll be safe there.”

“Zor-El…”

Alura didn’t need to say more as Zor-El knew what she meant, what she was asking. There would be no one to tell Kara the truth about herself, where she came from and what Krypton was. Zor-El had done all he could, putting as much history as possible into the pod but it wouldn’t be the same.

“This is Kara’s only hope.” Zor-El said, his hand softly cradling his daughter’s head. “There isn’t much time Alura, we have to do this. For her, and for Krypton.”

The tears were forming freely at this point as Alura knew the goodbye could not be put off. This was the only way to save her and time had been most cruel in giving Alura such little time with Kara.

Walking near the pod, Alura looked down at Kara once more, the big blue eyes looking right back at her. “It’s the only way my daughter.” She tried to explain, pressing a wet kiss to Kara’s head. Alura handed Kara to Zor-El, putting her hand on her husband’s arm.

“You will do great things Kara Zor-El.” He said as he gently placed her into the pod. Alura collapsed into her husband chest, sobs racking over her body as he pushed the launch button. The flames began to engulf the room they were in, the building crumbling around them. Their hopes of survival rested in their infant.

The pod launched at full speed, heading towards the heavens and breaking the atmosphere in just enough time. The infant slumbered away in the safety of the pod as she hit the stars. The entire history of a single race now rested in her, a child not even old enough to understand her place in the universe.

Kara drifted through space in statis, frozen as an infant as her father’s dying plan kept her alive. The tide of the stars drifted and changed, and yet the pod continued on it’s journey towards a small planet in the Sol system called Earth. Finally, three years after the destruction of Krypton, the pod made it to its destination with Kara safely tucked away inside.

 

**_|| A GALAXY OF STARS ||_ **

 

It had been a summer day like any other in Smallville, Kansas. Jonathan Kent was out on his tractor, tending to the crops of the Kent family farm when his wife Martha had brought him a cold glass of sweet tea.

Taking it from her, Jonathan smiled as he placed a kiss upon her lips in thanks. Martha had intended to steal another from her husband when a loud noise caught her attention.

Both Kents lifted their eyes just in time to see a large hunk of metal come screeching out of the sky.

“Watch out!” Jonathan cried out as he jumped off the tractor, pulling Martha to the ground. The object came dangerously close to them before crashing into the field right next to the barn.

“What is it?” Martha asked, shaken as Jonathan pulled her to her feet after him.

“I don’t know.” He replied, his eyes over at the smouldering wreckage. Putting his arm out, protecting Martha, Jonathan began making his way over to it. Truthfully he had expected more damage to be done but silently thanked God for not having the thing crash into his barn.

“It looks like a spaceship.” Martha whispered as the two approached it.

“NASA don’t fly over Kansas on return missions.” Jonathan countered, a nervous heat growing as they came closer. “Don’t touch anything.”

The pair stood in silence, looking at the odd ship, wondering what to do next when the faintest of cries could be heard.

“It’s a baby!” Martha cried out, pushing her way passed Jonathan and to the pod.

“Don’t touch it!” He cried out, knowing it was futile as Martha was already trying to remove the glass from the pod to reach the crying baby. The moment her hands connected with the glass, it suddenly disappeared.

“Oh my gosh.” Martha said, lifting Kara from the cockpit and cradling her. Jonathan knew the smart thing to do would be to leave the child alone but there was no stopping his woman when it came to children.

In the safety of cradling arms, Kara’s cries began to subdue.

The ship whizzed again, sputtering madly causing Jonathan pull Martha away. It took a moment to load, but a weak projection screened.

“Hello. My name is Zor-El and this is my wife Alura.” A man said to them.

“If this recording is playing it means our daughter Kara Zor-El has safely made it to Earth from a planet called Krypton.” The woman said, a slight break in her voice that got to Martha’s heart instantly.

“Our planet is dying. Our only hope for Kara was to send her from Krypton to the safety of planet similar to ours. We ask, whoever finds this pod, please care for our daughter in our place. Although Earth is similar to Krypton, it orbits a yellow sun. This sun will give her great powers, powers beyond the imagination of anyone on Earth.” Zor-El said

“We have done all we can for our daughter. Our only hope now is that you, whoever you are, save our daughter and raise her as your own.” Alura said, this time her voice fully breaking. “And Kara, my daughter, one day when you are old enough to understand, I hope you will believe me when I say how much I love you.”

The recording abruptly shut off, leaving Jonathan and Martha in stunned silence. Martha kept her eyes down on Kara, bouncing her and soothing her. This child had lost everything and by some miracle, had landed on their farm.

For many years, Jonathan and Martha had tried to have children to no avail. It had only been in the last year they had given up hope it would ever happen. The love they shared was enough. But now fate intervened and had brought a child to them.

“Jonathan…” Martha need say no more as her husband already knew her thoughts. He knew there was no way they could handle over such an innocent being. The government couldn’t be trusted to do what her parents had asked.

Wrapping an arm around his wife, Jonathan let out a sigh as he looked down at the baby girl in his wife’s arms.

“Welcome to Earth, Kara Kent.”


	2. CHAPTER ONE.

Watching as her mother set a full breakfast down in front of her, Kara Kent let out a laugh and shook her head. Coming home always meant her adoptive mother fussing over her, making sure she was eating three square meals a day and knowing she was okay. That was a mother’s job, after all.

Rolling her eyes, Kara still picked up the knife and fork and began cutting into her eggs, truly enjoying each bite she took.

“Miss my cooking?” Martha asked with a smile on her lips as she rested her chin in her propped up hand. “Bet you don’t get cooking like that out in the arctic circle.”

Kara couldn’t help but roll her eyes, taking another bite as she did. She had come home around 2 that morning, woke her mother to say hello before crawling into bed and letting her mother hold as she drifted off to sleep. This had been her longest period of time without a visit home. Kara made sure to call and send emails every so often but for the last year and a half, she had been wandering. Something inside of her had been stirring, wanting to awaken and the fear of it drove her from the safety of Smallville.

Her entire life, Kara had known she was different. As a child, she couldn’t understand why she could do the things she could. She was stronger and faster than everyone else, her hearing and vision so sharp it hurt her at times and in pure anger once, red beams had shot from her eyes. At six she struggled to understand as her mother and father told her they would explain later, telling her to breathe through it all and center herself on them only.

When she was 13, the truth couldn’t be hidden any longer. Jonathan and Martha Kent had told her the truth, that she was not their biological daughter or even human. Jonathan showed Kara the pod, telling her that it was fate that brought her to them, that they knew they had to protect her. Martha held her hand as the hologram of her birth parents played, informing her of who she was and what that meant. It took every ounce of self control Kara had to harness her powers. Jonathan and Martha did everything they could to help. It was strange to Kara that she never felt resentment towards the Kents as perhaps somewhere inside she knew and understood that the alternative would have been much grimer. Instead of sitting at her mother’s table at 25 years old, would she be a secret weapon used by the United States government as they pleased?

That thought plagued Kara from the moment she learned the truth at 13 till now. Jonathan had been right to caution Kara to hide her powers, reminding her that her greatness couldn’t be fully understood by humans right now. Losing him seven years ago had been a terrible blow to her. Jonathan Kent had been Kara’s rock, holding her to the ground and something real. She fulfilled the promise she made him, kept her powers hidden even at the cost of his life and continued on to college. She graduated from Metropolis University for the sake of going through the human motions before disappearing off the radar. Her classmates had gone on to find jobs, to work for various companies or run their own, some even chased impossible dreams but Kara remained lost.

Something in her desired to be free. She knew that something was the Kryptonian inside of her. Going through the motions just didn’t cut it for her anymore. As she couldn’t keep herself hidden for the sake of her adoptive father’s memory, she chose to run. For the last year and a half she had taken odds jobs here and there in the most remote parts of the world. The less human interaction she had rationalized, the better for her.

Yet she needed to return home, needed to see the woman she called her mother and bring herself back to the bonds that tied her to this planet. Things weren’t the same. Martha’s eyes warned Kara a conversation she had been avoiding for so long was on the way.

“I appreciate you letting me eat first.” Kara mumbled, lifting her eyes for just a minute to look at her mother.

Martha chuckled and shook her head, “You got a new mind reading power?”

“No, but that would be fun. I could use it to go on Jeopardy and never have to work again.”

“Wow, funny you should mention work.”

There was that look Kara had been dreading, the look that said they were having this conversation one way or another. Thankfully, she had already scarfed down the breakfast so Kara simply brushed the crumbs from her lips and sat back.

“I miss you baby.” Martha said, reaching out across the table to take her daughter’s hand. “And I hate the idea of you being out there just wandering, lost.”

“I’m not lost.” Kara lied, averting her eyes from her mother’s. “I’m just doing what’s best.”

“It’s not. It’s not living Kara.”

She couldn’t argue against Martha as she knew the woman was right. Kara wasn’t living, she was merely surviving day to day. Joy had been taken from her life, purpose and meaning along with it. 

“It’s what’s safest.” Kara finally said, lifting her eyes to look at her mother again, “For me and for them. It’s what Dad wanted.”

“Oh Kara,” Martha said in that tone that spoke of a mother’s heartache and regret, “Your daddy mean this. And your mom and dad? This isn’t what they wanted when they sent you to us either baby. It’s come out of the shadows and start living.”

“Where?” Kara asked, the resistance chipping away, “Here in Smallville where everyone knows me as the weird Kent girl?”

Martha frowned, narrowing her eyes at Kara. She had heard that too often, from both the other residents and Kara herself. Teenage years were hard on any girl but for Kara, trying to hide who she really was and what she could do, had made it twice as tough.

“Not in Smallville.” Martha finally said, “Maybe National City.”

Kara lifted her head, confusion written all over her fast. Martha Kent had never been a woman who advocated for the West Coast, and especially not a sprawling California city like National City.

“Cat Grant just announced she’s hiring new, young female staff writers for her magazine.” Her mother continued, getting up and moving to the counter, grabbing the magazine that was already open to the page and handing it to Kara. “I was reading it yesterday and then you showed up. You know we call that destiny.”

The eye roll at her mother happened naturally, taking it from her and reading over it quickly, trying not to betray any of her own thoughts in case it got her mother excited. Martha could read even the most micro of Kara’s expressions though.

“Rhea Matthews boy Michael works there. He just won a Pulitzer. I bet he could put in a good word for you.” Martha suggested.

Putting the magazine down, Kara gave her mom a stern look, “Do not tell Rhea Matthews to talk to Mike about me.”

Kara knew of Mike Matthews, and of his achievements. Even back in high school, he was a journalist at his core. The two had shared maybe a dozen words in all their years in school together but she still was drawn to him. He was a kind but popular boy, a rarity at any small midwest school. There was no way that Mike would even remember the quiet girl who had written less than a dozen articles for the school paper.

“I don’t know Mom.” Kara finally said, shaking her head, “It’s hard to be out there, a part of the world and hide who I really am.”

Martha let out a deep sigh before pushing off the counter she was leaning on. Moving over to Kara, she placed a warm, soft hand on her cheek. “Maybe it’s time to stop hiding.”

Kara could not hide the surprise on her face. Her entire life had been a mantra of just the opposite, stay hidden. The risk of what they could lose if Kara revealed the truth was always too great. 

Hiding had cost Jonathan Kent his life and to hear her mother say it was time to stop hiding floored her.

“Mom, that’s not what Dad said.” Kara said, looking up to her mother’s eyes, tears stinging at her own as she vividly recalled the day they had lost him.

Kara had the memory of losing Jonathan seared into her memory. It had been just after graduation and they had been coming back from a city shopping trip. With Kara leaving for Metropolis in two short months, Martha wanted Kara to pick out her dorm stuff early. The tornado warning on the drive home had interrupted their laughter and singing.

A long line of cars had pulled off the road, people running to the ditches. There was a certain panic setting, the volume of chattering rising but even then, Kara could hear everything. A woman’s cries were desperate pleas of help and it caused her to whip around quickly, catching Jonathan’s attention.

“That woman needs help.” Kara had told him, focusing on a woman in a mini-van just 500 feet away. She had stepped forward to go when Jonathan caught her arm.

“I’ll go.” He said, ushering his daughter back into Martha’s arm. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as from the corner of her eye she could see the advancing tornado. Kara knew she could get there and back in less than five seconds. It just meant revealing who she was. 

Martha’s fingers were gripped tight around Kara as they watched Jonathan run to the mother, the storm bearing down. It was stupid and dangerous of her father. He had managed to free the infant and handed them off to the mother, urging them to hurry to the ditch of safety.

Jonathan had been running just after her when the first bits of debris came down. Kara watched in slow motion as a branch smacked into Jonathan’s back, knocking him to his feet. The storm was far too close for him to get to his feet easily.

“Dad!” Kara cried out in desperation, hearing her mother’s sobs next to her, “Dad, please!” She knew all eyes were on Jonathan, many knowing him to be doomed but Kara could save him, she could do it.

Jonathan had just struggled to his feet when he held out his hand, knowing Kara could see him. It wasn’t time. If it came to his life or his child, he would have picked his own every time.

Martha and Kara were left standing there as the storm surrounded Jonathan, whisking him into the center in a flash. He was gone, gone because of the importance of keeping Kara hidden.

So to hear now her own mother disregard that sacrifice, it unsettled Kara.

“Your dad wanted you to be human first. To go to college and find yourself. We always knew one day your gifts could save this world. And we wanted that for you when you were ready.” Martha tried to explain. “If he was here now Kara, well baby I swear to you he would be saying the same thing. It’s time for you to step into the sun.”

There were so many questions Kara had but the longer she just looked at her mother, the more reassured she felt that perhaps she was right. No part of her longed to just suddenly be a hero but the idea of living among people again, of abandoning the wilderness warmed her.

Wiping the tears that had fallen from her cheeks, Kara gave a short laugh as she looked at her mother, “You’ve been planning this a long time huh?”

“You have no idea, Sunshine.” Martha said with a light laugh. Silence filled the room and Kara could tell from the look that now rested on her mother’s face there was more.

“What else?” She asked, “Just get everything out in the open.”

Martha sighed heavily, looking at Kara for just a moment. Finally she stood, walked over to the cabinet and pulled a crystal with a slip of parchment wrapped around it from the shelf.

“This was in your pod.” She said, setting it in front of Kara and then sitting herself. “Your dad figured out that the coordinates were somewhere over the Arctic. No human could get there. We have no idea what is there.”

Kara picked the crystal up and pulled the parchment off, looking at the numbers. Something struck her as she looked at the script. This was the handwriting of one of her parents. The care in the curl of the numbers made her believe it was her mother’s.

Another clue to her life, of who she really was. That truth was something Kara had been running from instead of too. It was time to change that. Whatever was in the Arctic was something that her Kryptonian parents had left for her to find. Whether or not Kara wanted to do that was a different matter. If she opened the box of on her past, she couldn’t turn back from it.

“You deserve to know who you are baby girl.” Martha said, reading Kara’s mind and seeing the doubt lining her face. 

Kara just nodded, squeezing the crystal in her palm. Answers to questions she had been afraid to ask were just waiting for her.

Once night fell, and Martha was asleep, Kara took off, flying through the air towards the Arctic Circle. She had spent the day going back and forth on if she was even going to track whatever this was down. 

It didn’t take long for Kara to reach the Arctic circle. From a cursory view, she could see nothing out of place and so she took off her lead lined glasses but still saw nothing. Finding a flatter part, nearest the exact coordinates left in her pod, Kara landed and began to walk slowly, worried about tripping something.

This location was perfect to keep something hidden. Between the harsh terrain and the beating, whipping wind, there was no way a human could easily make the journey to this pace. With another step forward, the ground began to shake and rumble.

Almost splitting the ice, a large door was rising from beneath Kara. A strike of fear hit her as she panicked for a moment that there still may be a trap attached to this door. All that time spent alone in the wilderness had turned her a bit paranoid. 

There was a small keyhole on the large ice door and instantly Kara recognized the slot. Pulling the crystal from her pocket, with a shaking hand she slide it into the door. It fit perfectly and suddenly the great door gave a resounding creak, allowing Kara to push it open and step inside.

Unsure of what to expect, she was slightly taken aback by the giant ice crystals and glaciers that had formed. There was an odd glow reflecting as well from the sun. The more Kara stepped inside, the more the hairs on her neck stood.

As she neared the center of the room, whizzing out from somewhere, a robot caught her completely off guard. She had been ready to laser it when suddenly it stopped.

“Greetings, Kara Zor-El.”

The name made Kara freeze. There was no one on Earth who would know her by that name.

“You know who I am?” She asked

“Yes. Kara Zor-El, daughter of Zor-El and Alura, of the ancient house of El.” The robot said, “I am Kallex, a service robot placed here to aid you.”

“What is this place?” Kara questioned, her eyes looking around the fully illuminated chamber.

“This is a Kryptonian fortress. Placed on earth at the dawn of mankind to observe the species human as they developed over time. This fortress was built by Nue-El, the first son of the Luh-El, founder of house El.” Kallex rattled off quickly, quick images of her ancestors flashing before her eyes.

This fortress was more than she could have imagined. Her family was in this structure, her history on a planet she had never known. Stepping farther inside, Kara came to the console in the middle.

“And this?” She asked as her hands hovered over, the console lighting up beneath her palms.

“Your interface.” Kallex explained “This will connect you with all Kryptonian knowledge and history.”

Kara’s palm pressed down onto the smooth flat surface, instantly activating it. The hologram of two individuals stood before her and Kara knew immediately who they were.

“Mom. Dad.” She whispered, her eyes welling as she looked at the faces she had seen many times over and over. Kara had memorized the message that arrived in the pod with her, spending endless afternoons.

“Hello Kara.” Her mother’s hologram said, “We are here to assist you.”

For the first time in her life, with fingers trembling over the interface, Kara felt like she had a destiny on Earth to fulfill.

 


	3. CHAPTER TWO

As Kara prepared to reenter the world out in Smallville, at that moment on the West Coast city of National City, Mike Matthews sat in the office of Cat Grant, waiting for the CEO of CatCo Media to arrive.  Eve Tessmacher had attempted to persuade him to not wait in Cat’s office but those pleas had fallen on deaf ears.

Walking into her own office, Cat let out a deep, audible sigh as she looked at Mike, giving him a once over with a roll of her eyes to boot.

“Allow me to remind you that this is a place of work Mr. Matthews and not a Sunday afternoon barbeque. Shirt and tie are required.”

“You’ve been saying that since you hired me.” Mike said with a grin as he stood up, moved over to her desk and helped himself to a handful of jelly beans. “I don’t think you really mean it.”

“Keep testing me and you’ll see if I do, Michael.” Cat gave him a pointed look before she lowered herself into her chair. Mike Matthews had been a risky hire two years ago but he had certainly paid off now. Months shy of 26 years old, he had become the youngest recipient of the Pulitzer prize for his work expose the shady underhand dealings of Lex Luthor and his company LexCorp.

As Mike went to dig his hand into the jelly bean jar again, she lifted her own hand and smacked his away, “What do you want Matthews?”

“World peace?”

“Matthews.”

“I need a ticket to Vegas at the end of the week.”

“And what? You want time off? Why do I care?”

“Because I finally have a guy willing to talk to me about all these weird abductions.”

“Are they abductions or just missing people?”

“That’s why I need this guy. He’s going to confirm for me that he gave names to some weird, scary dude and then those people went missing.”

Cat stopped what she was doing to look at Mike. There was that glint in his eye that he got whenever he was onto something. It had reminded Cat of a younger her, working alongside Perry White and fighting to write the truth, no matter what that was. Something about this felt off though and Mike had a habit of putting himself in tight spots just to get the scoop. More often than not, Mike tended to forget that he wasn’t a police officer.

“We’ve got the interviews on Friday.” She finally said, lowering her gaze back down to her papers, “I need you there.”

“You don’t.” 

“I just said I did.” Cat replied, eyes focused on the copies in front of her.

Mike frowned, retreating back to the couch and flopping down once more. Interview hires were not part of his job description and he suspected that if Cat wanted him involved, she’d be expecting him to either partner or mentor the new hire and that wasn’t something he wanted.

“You hired me to write for you.” Mike pointed out, tipping his head to Cat. Once more, her eyes remained down and focused on whatever was in front of her, ignoring Mike. “Please don’t make me do this.”

Sighing, Cat set everything down, pulled her glasses from her face and stared at Mike for a prolonged period of time, making him feel a bit weird. He tended to be a of a loner, something that didn’t fit well with the rest of his persona. In crowds, Mike would be the life of the party. His kindness and humor drew people into him. Yet Cat had noticed that when it came to work, to writing and chasing the story down, Mike was a solo artist.

“Would you consider me your mentor, your role model, Michael?” There was a tone in Cat’s voice that put a bit of fear into Mike, the type of tone that told him his answer was not actually wanted here.

“I believe you would and I believe you also know that mentors and role models are important for helping craft talent. This is the natural progression. I mentor you, you become your best and now you mentor someone to their best.”

Mike was silent, his eyes focused on Cat, pointless arguments forming in his mind. This had been decided already and all he would do at this point was irritate Cat.

“I’m booking a flight for right after.” Mike finally said, conceding his defeat and getting up from the couch, “And you’re paying for a good hotel!” He added as he left the office, Cat putting her glasses back on and shaking her head once more.

**|| AGOS ||**

Kara tapped her foot nervously, fidgeting as she sat waiting for her interview. She fiddled with her glasses, flipped through her portfolio and occasionally used her super hearing to eavesdrop in. From what she could tell, Mike was incredibly bored of the whole thing and Cat seemed indifferent. It only left her feeling worse.

Minutes ticked by until finally a young blonde stepped from the conference room and called her name, leading her in. At one end, Cat and Mike sat, Cat taking the spot at the head of the table and Mike to her right. Kara hesitated for a moment, unsure if she was to sit at Cat’s left or farther down the table. 

“Right there is fine Miss...Kent?” Cat said, lifting her eyes over the rim of her glasses to give her a once over. Kara nodded and quickly pulled the chair out, a little too rough and creating a small scene. It was enough to get Mike to finally look up.

He was about to look away just as quick when he stopped, his eyes narrowing on the woman. She was familiar, very familiar in a way he couldn’t place, but couldn’t look away.

“Why do you want this job Miss Kent? Why do you think you are a reporter? In fact, why do you think you should work for CatCo as a reporter?” Cat asked, launching right into things without missing a single beat.

Mike had still been staring at Kara, an odd look on his face as he racked his brain. Her face was related to a story. No, not a story. He had seen her around town. Town.

“You went to Smallville High!” Mike said suddenly, snapping his fingers and pointing to Kara, who had been in the middle of trying to explain to Cat why she wanted to work for CatCo.

The interruption caught her off guard. She had certainly remembered Mike and it was no surprise to her that he failed to remember her. Kara glanced towards Cat, whose brow was raised in curiosity.

“I did.” Kara finally said, the nerves still there as she glanced between Cat and Mike, “We graduated together.” She hesitated for a moment, watching as it all seemed to register to Mike exactly who she was. “We wrote for the Smallville High Times together as well.”

It fully dawned on Mike who she was. Kara Kent. She had been quiet, offering up what he called puff pieces about the school. Her writing had been strong, well crafted even then, but she had kept stronger to herself. There was something odd about her that Mike never quite figured out.

“Hold on,” Cat said, looking between the two, “You both went to the same high school and wrote for the same paper?”

“Yeah, Kara wrote a lot of the pieces about school events. They were really good.” Mike said with a grin as he looked at Kara. It left her feeling strange, the gesture. He spoke like he remembered her, or at least her writing, and yet Kara could recall only a handful of exchanges they ever had.

“Well, I guess that settles it.” Cat said in a matter-of-fact tone, standing as she did. Mike got to his feet right away and Kara caught the cue to get up as well. “You’ll start on Monday. Mr. Matthews should be back and will be more than happy to show you the ropes.”

Cat gave a swift nod and promptly exited the room, yelling at full volume for a Miss Tessmacher to bring her a latte.

Kara let out a chuckle, in stunned disbelief that the interview had lasted less than two minutes and she got the job. It was because of her knowing Mike. Turning her attention to him, she paused for a moment, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. “Your mother didn’t happen to call you about me did she?”

It felt foolish to ask and despite telling her mother to leave it alone, she felt too suspicious that this had been a result of interference.

Mike chuckled and shook his head, “No, she didn’t..” Stepping away from the table, he shook his head again. Cat had left with no instructions for Kara and without even saying so, Mike knew that he was now entirely responsible for the fresh reporter.

“Stop by Eve’s desk on your way out. She’ll have all the paperwork for you. Bring it back on Monday.” Mike checked his watch, frowning a little as he realized he was cutting it just a little too close. “I would give you the big tour now but I’m chasing a story and my plane leaves soon. It’s the only one that goes to Vegas from National City so can’t afford to miss it.”

Mike offered an apologetic smile, hoping to relay that he was not intentionally blowing Kara off but that she was secondary to his own work. Besides, there was all of next week to show her the ropes. Slinging his back over his shoulder, he stepped to the door, looking back over it for just a brief moment, “Congratulations Smallville. Welcome to the Big Time.”   
  


**|| AGOS ||**

The plane had been delayed. Naturally of course, given how eager Mike was to get to Vegas and track down this source. His hard hitting exposes had often put him in tight spots and questionable situations, and he had certainly met his fair share of shady characters, yet something about the hoops he was going through with this source left an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

It was nightfall by the time the plane even started boarding and Mike’s impatience had been growing. Flying was hardly his favorite thing and the delay had built his anxiety high. He found his seat quickly and waited, watching individuals file on one by one. His headphones had died and now there was nothing to distract him from the noise.

Finally, the plane had been fully boarded then shut tight, and taxied to the runway. Takeoff was always the worst for Mike as he hated the rushing feeling and force that accompanied it. The plane got off the ground no problems and was climbing higher and higher. Mike had started to relax.

BOOM!

It was an explosion. Mike knew instantly from the noise and screams and whipped his eyes to the window. The right engine had caught fire and it was clear the pilots had no control over the plane any longer. As high up as they were, Mike could feel the plane stall suddenly.

The first coherent thought he had was who would end up covering his death.

  
  



End file.
